On USA deportations
Dear editor,
I am sad to hear of the suicide of a brother that was deported back to The Gambia from the USA. May his soul Rest In Peace.
While in the USA, I used to volunteer with a charity organization that helped new immigrants with their immigration paperwork and also assisted with settling them in. I was exposed to the senseless US immigration system and its attendant stupidity. The questions towards becoming a citizen still ask if you plan to be a communist or marry more than one spouse! That’s how stupid and backward the system is.
So, a lack of accepted immigration status is nothing to be ashamed of or the fault of the immigrant for the most part. Getting a regular immigration status in the USA is nothing but LUCK! I know of people who have been trying to get their papers for over twenty years! And I know of others who were able to get their papers within a year or so of their arrival! So, if your family member or friend does not have their papers, it’s not always their fault, it’s a broken system that’s run by clueless officers under the direction of wicked presidents such as Obama and Trump! Yes Obama deported many more immigrants!
Should your family member be sent home, welcome them with open arms. Help them settle in. Bear with them as they try to resettle here in The Gambia. Assure them that there are many opportunities here in The Gambia and whatever their trade is, they can find a way to better themselves here. It won’t be easy but it’s doable! If they need some help, please send me a message and I will link up with them.
For those of you living in the USA and facing a deportation order, do not despair! Do not wait for them to come and knock on your door and put you in chains to be sent back home. Even if you have very little here, you have your skills and knowledge that no one can take from you. Have faith that all shall be well. I’m here and I voluntarily left the US with little to my name but I found something here that was becoming ever more elusive by the day: Peace of Mind! As messed up as things may sound about our The Gambia, it’s our home. And as they say, there’s no place like home. You just have to have faith in Gambia!
Eden Sharp
Banjul
